


Roll to See Who Goes First

by swordsdance



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dungeons & Dragons, Gaming, Jock Liam, Jock Louis, M/M, Nerd Harry Styles, Nerd Zayn, RPG, larry - Freeform, nerd, role playing game, ziam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2014-04-03
Packaged: 2018-01-11 09:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1171648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swordsdance/pseuds/swordsdance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So maybe Liam's a big ole nerd. Maybe he likes to get together with Harry, Niall, and Zayn to play a role-playing game where they use magic and slay dragons. Maybe Louis judges them but joins them anyway. They're definitely all just really good friends. There are definitely no feelings involved whatsoever.</p><p>Maybe they're all in denial.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a D&D type AU. Multi-chaptered, I don't know how long it will be. I apologize because the tabs got all messed up, other than that it should be okay. Hopefully you enjoy. :)

 

                _Dragons. Four of them to be exact. Four fire-breathing ferocious beasts flanked the boys on all sides. The three boys stood with their backs to each other, facing what seemed to be their imminent doom. Their trek through this dark, smoky cavern had led them to this point, surrounded by an ambush of the deadly monsters._

_“Think we have a shot?” asked Harry, a smirk on his face, as he unsheathed his sword from its metal case._

_“Well, we are outnumbered,” replied Zayn, raising his staff as it pulsed with a blue glow of magic. “And, oh yeah, these big guys breathe fire.”_

_“I don’t think we have a choice.” Said Liam, pulling out an arrow from his quiver, preparing to take aim._

_As the three boys prepared for what they believed to be their final showdown, they heard a loud “thud” from the far end of the cavern. The four dragons immediately looked to where the noise came from. By the second sound, the creatures immediately ran away in retreat to the opposite direction, ignoring the boys completely._

_THUD._

_The three stood shoulder to shoulder now, facing the source of the unknown sound. The far end of the cavern was darker than the rest, but whatever was causing the sound seem to be getting closer and closer. A look of panic was shared among the friends. A new threat was coming, but one that was completely unknown. A threat that made the mightiest of dragons cower in fear, and now they had to face it._

_THUD._

_The boys readied themselves, wielding their weapons. The noise got closer and closer. The behemoth came out of the shadows and finally revealed itself as-_

 

                 “BURRRRRP!”

                “Ew, Niall, come on!” yelled Zayn, waving his hand around his face.

“Sorry lads,” said the blonde boy, patting his stomach. “Big dinner, ya know. It was those baked potatoes they were having. The dining hall makes a damn good baked potato.” He laughed while Zayn continued to wave the air in his face in disgust.

Harry laughed along. “Niall your gas could literally scare away a dragon.” Liam couldn’t help but smirk at the whole scene. The four boys were sitting at a small wooden table in the middle of an empty classroom. Their adventures were unfolding on the table-top map where they played their role-playing game. Zayn, Harry and Liam were warriors on a quest, fighting monsters, saving villagers, and gaining treasures- that sort of thing.

“I’m afraid with Niall as our DM, we may never get to the end of this campaign.” Smiled Liam. “Which is a shame because we just started.”

“Yeah, Niall, four dragons right off the bat?” asked Zayn, holding up one of the small replicas from the table. “What the hell was that for?”

“Well!” said Niall, tossing his hands in the air and rolling his eyes. “Pardon me princesses, but don’t hate the player, hate the game! It’s not me fault that this new campaign book starts off with dragons flanking you, one fer each player!”

As Niall continued talking, Liam picked up another dragon miniature. It was almost identical to the one Zayn was holding, but had some slight differences in color scheme. Zayn looked at Liam and instantly smiled, bringing his dragon closer to Liam’s. Liam smiled back looking down at their two miniatures waddling closer to each other on the table while Niall wasn’t paying attention. Zayn’s dragon immediately moved in closer, pecking Liam’s right on the mouth. Liam immediately giggled and looked up at Zayn, who was already staring at Liam _. ‘This means nothing,_ ’ Liam told himself, _‘We’re just playing around.’_

“Niall, there are only three players here, therefore, we should only have THREE dragons!” replied Harry with his characteristically slow drawl, always stating the obvious.

“Again, it’s not me fault that Matt and George transferred out this semester! Lucky we got Liam here to take one place.”

“Yeah, we really need another man,” said Harry, adjusting his glasses, “Preferably one with… ya know… skills!”

“Did somebody ask for a SKILLED MAN?!”

The four boys immediately turned around to see a skinny boy in a letterman jacket leaning on the doorway. Liam immediately felt his face flush.

The boy walked up to the table and instantly pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards. He leaned on the back and picked up a random six-sided die from the table.

“Well, well, well, it seems I’ve been missing all the fun, and here it is!”

The four boys awkwardly exchanged glances with one another in shock. “Uhh, what can we do ya for?” Asked Niall, finally breaking the silence.

“Oh don’t mind me, I’m just here to learn!” He said with a devilish grin, flicking his brown hair off to the side. He turned to his right and asked, “Liam, aren’t you going to introduce me to your breakfast club?!”

Zayn, Harry and Niall immediately shared a glance at Liam. “I uhh… well uhmm… see it’s funny…” Liam rambled. “Uhm. Guys, this is Louis. He’s uhm… I know him, and we uhm. I uhh…” At this point he swore he could feel himself getting redder. “Well Louis, these are my friends, Harry, Niall, and Zayn. These are the guys.”

“Hi!” Said Niall. Zayn gave an awkward wave and Harry just stared, stone-faced at this new boy on his right.

“Nice to meet you ‘the guys’!” said Louis, mocking Liam. He took one pyramidal die and spun it around on the table until Liam immediately put his hand down on it.

“Louis, can I side-bar with you?” he firmly asked, the first coherent sentence he hand managed to say since Louis walked in. “This will only take a minute.” He told Niall.

“Nah, it’s all good,” said Niall, standing up and grabbing his bag. “It’s actually getting late and I’m starving.”

“What else is new?” asked Zayn, standing up.

“Yeah, uhm, I have to finish my maths homework.” Said Harry.

“We’ll pick this up next week then lads?” Asked Niall, smiling. He shot a reassuring glance at Liam. “Liam?”

“Yes, definitely. Uhm… I’ll see you there next week. Or here rather. Uhm. Yeah, see you then.” He immediately pulled Louis to the other side of the room.

\---

                     “What are you DOING here?!” Liam asked, trying to keep a low whisper.

“Well,” said, Louis, smugly, while leaning on a desk, “I was just curious as to why you weren’t doing club football this semester. Your answers were so vague and such utter bullshit really, you’re a terrible liar Liam.”

“What does it MATTER if I don’t wanna do club football anymore?”

“So naturally,” continued Louis, ignoring Liam, “I had to follow you. I noticed you were going into the Engineering Building at this hour and thought ‘Hey, Liam doesn’t have any engineering classes? Why would he be here?’”

Liam began grinding his fingers together in a fist and looking at his shoes. He felt so embarrassed, mostly because of being caught in a lie by Louis, one of his best friends.

“Then I went through the list of reasons. I ruled out murderer ‘cause your clothes are always so clean, then I thought you were having a secret love affair!”

“Shut it Louis!” whispered Liam.

“Which of course, I realized I was right.” He said, staring pointedly behind Liam. Liam turned around and saw Zayn, all packed up, tying his shoe. Liam felt his face get redder, if that was even possible.

“Your love affair… with dragons. And dice. And nerds.”

Liam turned back around with an angry look in his face. “Shut. Up.”

“You’re a role-playing nerd Liam!” He put his arms on Liam’s shoulders and looked him square in the eye. “And I’m so glad you finally came out!”

Liam shrugged off Louis’ arms and stormed out of the room.

“Wait, wait! Liam please wait up! I was kidding! Come talk to me!”

Liam stopped and turned around in the middle of a dark deserted hallway. If Louis disappeared here, no one would be around to witness it. “Gosh Louis, you shouldn’t have followed me!”

“Why are you mad at ME?!” Exclaimed Louis.

“Uhh, because of what I just said??? You followed me!”

“So! It’s a free campus! I should be mad at you! I’m furious!”

“Wha-“ stuttered Liam. “Wha-… why?!”

“Because you lied to me!”

“I never lied to you! I just said I wasn’t feeling club football anymore. And that I was busy.” Liam calmly replied.

“Yeah, busy playing dungeon dice monsters!” said Louis.

“That’s not what it’s called. And SO WHAT?!” yelled Liam, throwing his arms in the air. “Seriously, so what?! I can’t just… can’t just HAVE THIS?! Like… I like doing this okay! I like those guys. I like gaming!”

Louis faced softened for the first time that whole night. He looked at Liam in a way that told Liam that he understood. Louis was really listening to Liam and it was all dawning on him.

“I know Liam,” Louis said, biting his lip. Louis has never been the shy-type, but whenever he felt vulnerable, Liam felt like he was being stabbed in the chest. He hated seeing his friend like this. “I guess I just didn’t understand why would hide this part of yourself from me. Felt like you were ditching me.” He was looking down and kicking the floor slightly. Liam couldn’t handle this.

“Lou. Come on. I would never. It’s just… like you’ve never even gamed before.”

“I could learn?” replied Louis in a hushed tone.

Liam finally put his arm around Louis and began to walk them out of the building.

“So…” began Liam, as they walked. “Niall is the DM. That stands for ‘Dungeon Master’, and so he basically runs the whole thing…” Liam kept talking as the pair walked outside into the cold.

 

\---

                  Liam walked past aisle after aisle of bookshelves in the university library. In the far corner he finally found Harry, surrounded by books, and Niall, sitting on the desk eating a granola bar with one thin notebook in front of him.

                  “Guys! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Liam!” said Harry, grinning like the sun and pushing his glasses up. “To what do we owe our great fearless ranger, LeeRoyal, the honor?” He chuckled as he gave a small salute.

Liam raised one eyebrow, but immediately shook his head to forget it. “I wanted to know, if it was okay with you guys, if maybe…” He started to play with his nails, a nervous habit he’d had since he was little. “Maybe Louis could be our fourth? You know, in our guild?”

Harry’s eyebrows jumped and Niall immediately turned to Harry. He swallowed the rest of his granola bar. “I think that’s a great idea! Don’t you Harry?” he asked in a suggestive tone.

“Well, does captain football even KNOW how to play the game?” Harry asked, offended. Liam wasn’t sure, but he swore he could see a faint redness in Harry’s cheeks.

“I’ve been teaching him. And also, how did you know he played football?”

Harry stared down directly as his books. “Uhm the uhh… the jacket he was wearing.”

                 “But that jacket only has the number 23 on it.” Mused Liam, out loud, unsure of how Harry knew about Louis’ love for football.

                “Doesn’t matter!” said Niall. “I’m sure if yer friend doesn’t know anything, Harry will gladly show him the ropes.” He said, suggestively. He started to poke Harry in the shoulder, and Harry gave Niall a glare that could break boulders.

                Liam didn’t understand any of that, but he replied, “Great! I gotta go tell Zayn! Do you know where he is?”

                “Where else would he be on a weekday afternoon?” Said Niall, hopping off the table. Liam nodded and quickly walked out of the library.

\---

                Walking into an art classroom was a bit like walking into a foreign land for Liam. He was never really into art himself, other than stick figures. The smells were foreign too, all oils and acrylics and wooden easels that have all seen better days. The room was dark, but he knew someone was in there working, and he would bet that it was Zayn.

                Liam slowly tip-toed in to see none other than the young man he was looking for, mid-stroke on a large canvas. He took the time to enjoy what Zayn was painting. The background was all fire and brimstone, from what he could tell. The foreground showed a human figure holding a bow and arrow. The human wasn’t done yet, with no face. Still, it was beautiful. Liam had seen some of Zayn’s work before, but none of them had any humans before.

                “I can’t wait to see the face.” Said Liam. Zayn’s shoulders jumped and he turned around.

                “Liam!” he said, an almost frightened look on his face.

                “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

                “Nah, it’s uhh..” he turned back to the canvas and immediately picked it up and put it away. “It’s cool.”

                “Well I just came by to ask you if it was okay if Louis joined our guild. The others were cool with it.”

                “Your friend?” asked Zayn, as he quickly threw a large sheet over his unfinished canvas.

                “Yeah. I’ve been teaching him. He really wants to do it. Says he misses doing stuff with me.”

                Zayn smirked at Liam. “Doing stuff?” he asked suggestively.

                “What? Oh- NO! Haha, Louis and I are just really good friends. Nothing more.”

                “Right.” Laughed Zayn, wiggling his eyebrows.

                The two laughed again and shared an awkward moment of silence.

                “Uhm…. Well… If he’s cool with you, then he’s cool with me too,” Said Zayn, looking down. “We do need a fourth.”

                “Yeah, that we do.”

                The two shared yet another uncomfortably long silence. Zayn scratched his arms and looked pretty much anywhere other than Liam. Liam didn’t do much better, memorizing the pattern of paint stains on the ground beneath him.

                “Errr, alright well then. I’ll just uhm… go now. But uhm, see you later then?”

                “Yeah, see you on the battlefield!” chuckled Zayn.

                “Yes, yes, see you on our next adventure, great wizard!” smiled Liam.

                Before he left, he stood in the doorway for a moment then turned around.

                “Hey Zayn.”

                “Yeah?”

                “I want to see it. Your painting. Whenever it’s finished. I wanna see it.”

                “Sure thing mate.”

\---


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically, in most table-top games, you roll a dice to do literally anything. If it's a high number, say 20, then you succeed! If it's a low number, like one, you fail. In this chapter you'll see that mechanic in action. Hope you enjoy! Leave comments if you like it!

                 _Harry put down the tall glass and wiped his mouth. “You make a delicious ale, good lady. The best in all the land.”_

_“Thank you for letting us stay in the Inn for the night,” said Liam, putting down his half-finished mug. “We needed that rest after trekking through that blizzard.”_

_“Anytime lads.” Responded the bartender, with an exaggerated wink. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some dusting to do in the back. Teeheehee…” With that,  she left the boys alone. The lot turned around in their bar stools to take in the scene._

_It was a slow morning at the Inn, a few individuals coming and going, but very few actually drinking at the bar this early. In the corner sat two dwarf warriors eating peanuts and minding their own business. In another corner stood what appeared to be a jester. He wore an oversized multicolored robe and was attempting to juggle throwing pins._

_“Lads, it seems we’re already at a loss in our quest,” said Harry, looking at the nearby fireplace. “We don’t have any leads as to where we can find the dark jewel of Carollux.”_

_“I highly doubt any of these people have any connection to that evil.” Replied Liam._

_“Well I don’t TAKE KINDLY to ‘Highly doubt,’ I’m ready to kick ass and take names!” Yelled Louis. He stood up from the bar stool on the far left, sitting next to an all-but-spoken Zayn. The other three boys stared in shock as Louis put down his mug and grabbed his cape._

_“YOU THERE!” Yelled Louis, pointing at the jester._

_“Me?” asked the jester, holding his juggling pins._

_Louis walked right up to him, grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against the wall. “I KNOW YOU’RE HIDING SOMETHING. TELL US WHERE THE JEWEL IS OR SO HELP ME I WILL BLAST YOUR BRAINS THROUGH THIS WALL!” Louis lifted up his arm and faint pink aura seeped through his fingers, pointing right at the jester’s frightened, quivering face. He pointed two fingers and-_

 

                  “LOUIS!” yelled Harry, standing up from where he was seated across the game table. “You can’t just go around threatening random people!”

                  “Why not?!” Asked Louis, leaning back in his chair. He put a piece of gum in his mouth and began to chew loudly. “This is a role-playing game, and right now I’m playing the role of bad-ass cop. Like the chick from Law & Order.”

                   “You had no reason to threaten that poor jester!” said Harry.

“Harry, please,” said Liam, putting his hand on Harry’s shoulder, getting him to sit down. “Louis’s new to this game.”

“And besides, he’s totally allowed to do that.” Said Niall, reading over his gaming manual. “Louis, roll to intimidate the clown.”

“Alright!” said Louis, lifting up a 20-sided die. He blew into his hand and shook it. Harry watched as Louis’ hand went back and forth. He caught his eye and Louis winked right before tossing the die onto the table.

“Seven!” said Louis. “That good enough?”

“What’s your modifier?” asked Zayn, looking at the sheets of paper in front of Louis.

“Uh…” said Louis, unsure.

“You modifier is three.” Said Zayn. “He got a ten total.” Said Zayn to Niall.

“Mmm. Still no good. You couldn’t intimidate a clam with that score.” Said Niall, not bothering to look up.

“OH FOR GOD’S SAKES NIALL.” Said Louis. Sitting back down.

“Louis.” Said Zayn, slowly picking up the die. “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

“Pardon?” asked Louis.

“If you can’t be bad cop. I’ll be good cop.” Smirked Zayn. “I’d like to roll for charisma to try and be-friend the jester, Niall.” Said Zayn, staring at Liam. Wide-eyed, Liam watched Zayn roll the die. He shook it several times in his hand and tossed it forward. It bounced right off Liam’s hand and landed on the number eleven.

“Alright with my charisma modifier… that’s a fifteen.” Smiled Zayn.

“Well well, we’re back in business,” said Niall. “Your kindness gets the jester to tell you of a rumor of where to find the dark jewel of Carollux.”

“You’re so charismatic Zayn.” Said Liam. He coughed quickly and continued, “Your character I mean. He has like… a high charisma.”

“That he does, Lee.” Replied Zayn. This prompted Louis to roll his eyes and lean back further in his chair.

 

\---

                _“Is it too late to go back to the Inn?” Yelled Louis, ducking behind a small boulder. “We can go drink ale! You like ale, right Harry? Or we can go take up juggling with our kind friend the jester!” Louis jumped at the sound of another shard of ice crashing down around his feet._

_The four boys were on the trail that the jester told them to go, in hot pursuit of the dark jewel of Carollux, source of all evil in this land. Unfortunately, this trail led them up a cold mountain, where mountain ogres were now attacking them with ice from higher ground._

_“We are heroes, we don’t go back. We fight on with courage!” Yelled Harry from behind a separate, nearby boulder. Another loud crash of ice landed between them._

_“We can get the ogres with our long-ranged attacks!” Yelled Zayn. “I have my magic, Liam you have your arrows. Louis, you have psychic abilities.”_

_“I do?!” yelled Louis._

_“And Harry, you have… well you have a sword! So no you can’t really do anything here.” Said Zayn._

_“Your dimples can charm the ogres from far away.” Said Louis with a smirk._

_“Come off it, Tomlinson.” Said Harry with a frown._

_“Zayn’s right.” Said Liam. “We can’t keep hiding. It’s time to scale the mountain, lads. Let’s move!” With that, Liam ran straight up the mountain, zig-zagging through the rain of ice shards being pelted on by the far-away ogres._

_“I’m using Arrow of Justice on the ogre in the middle!” Yelled Liam. He drew an arrow and pulled it back. He took aim at one of the ogres. He steadied his hand, steadied his breathing, preparing to shoot._

_“You rolled a one?!” Yelled Harry in disbelief. At that moment, the arrow snapped in half, leaving Liam with no weapon, no action, and completely vulnerable._

_“What?!” Yelled a frantic Liam, looking down at the shattered remains of his arrow. All hope was lost for him now._

_“No!” cried Zayn from a distance. Just then, a huge chunk of ice pelted Liam square in the chest, knocking him prone._

_“Uggh.” Said Liam, holding himself up, surrounded by shards of glass. “I’m all bloodied now. I could die at any moment.” He said with a resigned look on his face._

_“To hell with that!” yelled Zayn. He came up from behind Liam and held him in his arms. Zayn took out his staff and waved it in front of Liam’s now bloody chest. “I’m spending my turn to do Healing Hope.”_

_“What’s that?” Asked Liam, looking up at Zayn as he held the two of them._

_“With Healing Hope I can spend a standard action to use one of my healing surges on an ally within range.”_

_Liam smiled. “You’d do that for me?” Just then, a huge glow seeped through Liam’s whole body. Liam breathed in and felt his bones and muscles fuse back together. The blood disappeared. He was whole again._

_“I’m at max health now.” Said Liam, smiling._

_“That you are.” Said Zayn. Zayn held the Liam in his arms and the two shared a warm smile. Liam leaned in and-_

              “WELL THEN!” said Niall. “You lot have made a lot of progress today. ‘Cept you Louis. You have a long way to go.”

“Oi! Rude!” said Louis, picking up his papers.

“But alas! It’s eleven-thirty, and I have an eight-thirty class in da morning.”

“Called breakfast?” asked Harry.

“Exactly.” Said Niall, rolling up the game map. “See you lot next week?”

“Yeah, definitely,” said Liam. The others agreed and packed up their belongings.

As Louis was about to walk out the door, he turned to Liam and asked, “You going back to the dorm?”

“Nah,” said Liam, looking down, “Think I left something in the library. You go ahead.” He began to bite his nails.

                “Alright.” Shrugged Louis. As Harry walked past him. “Hey Harry,” he said, following the taller boy. “What’s the difference between a long-ranged attack, and a-” the sounds of their voices died down as the pair walked away, with Niall not too far behind.

“Hey Zayn.” Said Liam, as Zayn was about to walk out the door.

“’Sup?”

               “Uhm, I was wondering if you wanted to go get something to eat. I know it’s late but-“

                “Uhhh,” replied Zayn, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t know, I gotta go uhm…” Zayn looked up and Liam continued to bite his nails. “There’s like this thing that I have to do. But uhm, I’ll see you around!” And with that Zayn walked right out.

Liam stood there alone for a moment in silence. He finally let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and walked out the door, wondering when his heart would stop racing.

 

\---

                “I don’t think Zayn likes me.”

                “Is that why your face looks just as depressed as that grilled chicken you’ve been stabbing at this whole time?” replied Louis. The two were sitting eating lunch in one of the various dining halls. Liam had his head propped up by one hand, toying with his chicken salad with the knife in this other hand.

                “Rather, I don’t know if he likes me or not. Sometimes I feel like he sends me signals. Then other times it feels like he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. Like, I tried to like, just talk to him after the game yesterday… just as a friend… and he just made up some excuse to leave.”

                “Ahh, nerds in love.” Sighed Louis sipping his drink and smiling at the ceiling.

                “Shut up! I’m not in love. I just thought maybe, you know… eventually…”

                “What? Maybe you’d pretend to LIKE rolling dice so you could roll around in his sheets.” Louis replied, eyebrows wiggling.

                “I don’t PRETEND to like anything! And also, shut the hell up!”

                “You never did tell me how you got into this game anyhow.”

                “Well last semester Niall was in a class with me. Then he told me about the game. They didn’t need another player, but I sat around and watched them playing, eventually I picked up on it. Thought it was cool.”

                “Oh Zayn, oh how I love the way you slay your dragon!” said Louis in a high-pitched mocking tone.

                “Why do I even bother talking to you?” Said Liam, stabbing his chicken hard enough to make the table shake.

                “I’m just messing with you!” chuckled Louis. “Look, I’m sure he likes you, he’s probably just nervous. Nerds keep their priceless figurines in the original packaging right? Well I’m sure he’s kept his dick in its original shrink-wrap and he’s just nervous.”

                At that Liam turned a shade redder and suddenly his salad seemed fascinating.

                “Look the guy clearly likes you. Yesterday he sacrificed his life just to save yours!”

                “He did NOT. He used his turn to give me some health.”

                “Is that code of sexual things?”

                “What?! No! You were there.”

                “And it was disgusting, the sexual tension. Blehh. I would never swing for a nerd.”

                “I know, I know, you think Harry Styles is quote the most annoying nerd in nerd-town, I get it.”

                “Exactly!” said Louis, taking another bite of hot dog. “And don’t you forget it. I could have any girl or guy ON this campus. Why would I want him?”

                “I never said you did.”

                “Well I don’t!”

                “Why do you keep bringing this up? Lou, if I didn’t know any better-“

                “HEY IT’S ZAYN!”

                Liam turned around and saw no one there who even resembled Zayn. When he turned back around Louis and his food were gone. He shook his head and proceeded to slice his chicken the polite way, slowly, with a fork and knife.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one day WHAAA???!
> 
> This chapter is primarily Zayn's point of view but switches between Liam and Zayn YUHP WE GOT CHARACTER INTERACTIONS. I hope none of that hinders your enjoyment. As always, comment and I'll love you forever. Thanks. :)

              Sweat dripped down his brow as he breathed in and out rapidly, but Liam didn’t care. He ran across the field with all the other guys, his eyes never leaving the ball. It was an uncharacteristically warm and sunny day in late January, and Liam, Louis, and several of their friends decided on a pick-up football game in the field. Louis and Liam were on the same team and played fantastically off each other. It was the first time either had touched a ball in months, and they were both happy to spend the afternoon outside.

                “Pass it, Lou, pass it!” Yelled Liam, attempting to be heard over the sound of kicking, panting, and other shouting. Darting left and right around the opponents, Louis finally kicked the ball to Liam. Liam promptly dribbled it a few feet as he ran, unguarded, right next to the opponent’s goal. He kicked the ball between a large garbage can and a tree, and his team immediately hollered.

                The sound of laughter and the gorgeous weather had gotten a crowd of about ten people to sit on benches right next to the pick-up football game. At that moment, Zayn walked by, on his way to the bus stop, and he glanced to see what all the commotion was. Bookbag in tow, he stopped near several other spectators and adjusted his glasses. _‘Liam?’_ He thought to himself, unsure of who he was seeing.

                “They’re all so fit.” Said one girl talking to her friend. Zayn couldn’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation. “Especially Payne.”

                “Who?” asked the girl.

                “Liam Payne. The guy right there in the black shirt. He used to play club footie but he’s not doing it anymore, I don’t know why.”

                “Oh wow. Yeah… yeah I would definitely show him a thing or too.” She said, smirking.

                “Ugh shut up!” Giggled the other girl.

                _“Yes, shut up.”_ Thought Zayn. He walked away in disgust, wishing he hadn’t heard that conversation. He had already made it a few yards away from the field when he distinctly heard someone calling.

                “Zayn!” said the voice approaching. Zayn turned around and adjusted his glasses again. It was none other than Liam, jogging over to him, panting and out of breath.

                “Zayn! What’s up?”

                “Uh, nothing.” Smiled Zayn. He couldn’t help but be a little flattered. Liam recognized him and jogged all the way over to where he was just to small talk. “Um… I was just on my way to the uh…” Zayn took out a flier from his book bag and showed it to Liam.

                “This gaming store downtown, the only one in town. They’re having a miniatures sale. Figured I’d take the bus. Then transfer to another bus. It’s worth it, kinduv a steal.”

                “Oh sweet!” Said Liam, genuinely interested. “I’m actually not doing anything right now. Mind if I…”

                Zayn felt his pulse quicken. “Uhm… I don’t know, the bus leaves in ten minutes.”

                “We can take my car!” smiled Liam.

                “I guess. If you don’t mind.” Said Zayn sheepishly. He didn’t know how to respond.

                “No it’s cool! I need a real miniature anyway. One that actually has a bow and arrow. Something that actually looks like my human ranger, Leeroyal!”

                “Uhh, ok…” muttered Zayn, trying to keep his cool.

                “I just gotta get changed.” Said Liam. He took Zayn by the arm and said, “Come with me to my room?” Zayn simply nodded and let Liam lead him to his dorm, trying not to focus on the burning sensation where Liam’s hand was.

\---

                “Welcome to mi casa! Sorry it’s a mess.”

                Liam let Zayn into the room. For a men’s dorm, it wasn’t particularly dirty. The walls were bare of any decorations, the sheets were blue-striped. There were some clothes on the floor, but not enough to be considered disgusting.

                “Cool.” Said Zayn, putting down his book bag and sitting on the chair.

                “Actually, I’m kinda rank after that footie game.” Said Liam, reaching into his closet grabbing a bottle of body wash. “I promise, this will only take ten minutes!”

                Zayn nodded, eyes blown wide. The mere thought of what Liam was about to do sent his pulse into overdrive.

                “Here, you can sit on my bed. Watch some TV while I shower. Be right back!”

                Zayn nodded, once again unable to speak. He hesitantly sat on the very corner of the bed and grabbed the remote. He made sure to not look at Liam’s direction.

                Just as Liam was about to walk out the door with his towel, he stopped for a moment. With his back to Zayn, he took off his sweaty shirt and threw it in the hamper and walked out the door. Zayn felt his eyes betray him as he watched Liam go. He felt that moment last forever, yet it was all too quick.

\---

                Fifteen minutes and half an episode of “How I met Your Mother” later, Zayn heard a click on the door. He immediately sat up just in time to see Liam walk in. He was dripping wet and wearing only a towel.

                “Hey,” said Liam, almost blushing. “I’m glad you didn’t like steal my stuff or anything like that.” He tossed his clothes aside and proceeded to reach into his closet to grab more clothes.

                “Yeah well…” said Zayn, making a point to look away. “That wouldn’t be very nice.” Zayn stared at the TV _. “Focus on the screen.”_ He chanted to himself.

                “Alright, I hope that didn’t take too long.” Said Liam, finally stepping out in fresh clothes. “You ready to go?”

                “Uhh yeah.” Said Zayn, still refusing to look Liam in the eye. He picked up his book bag and walked right out the door. He could have sworn he saw a look of disappointment on Liam’s face, but he refused to assume anything.

\---

                The car ride to the store had been mostly uneventful. It was generally silent other than the low humming of the radio, despite Liam’s best efforts to make small talk. Every time he looked over to Zayn, his eyes were staring out at the window next to him. Liam tried not to dwell on it, focusing on the road in front of him instead.

                When they finally got to the gaming store, Liam noticed an immediate change in demeanor in Zayn. He was like a kid in a candy store, almost literally. It wasn’t a large store, but it was condensed, jam-packed with aisle after aisle of gaming accessories. Dozens of posters, boards, game boxes, and literally hundreds of miniature figurines. It was his first time, and Liam was a bit overwhelmed. Instead of allowing himself to get lost amongst games he had never heard of, he followed Zayn as he energetically paced up and down the aisles.

                “Ugh, sweet!” Said Zayn, picking up a small miniature encased in a small plastic box.

                “What is it?” asked Liam, genuinely interested.

                “This is what I was looking for. An actual elf wizard with a bad-ass cloak holding the Staff of Divinity!”

                “That’s just like your character!” said Liam.

                “Exactly!” replied Zayn.

“You finally have your guy, the great wizard Ziome!”

“I know, I’m so glad they had it in stock.”

 Liam couldn’t help but appreciate the sincere smile growing on Zayn’s face. Even behind his glasses, Liam could see Zayn’s eyes light up. It was so infectious, he found himself smiling too.

                “These are four for twenty,” mused Zayn, looking at all the figurines on the wall. He slowly turned to Liam and asked, “Uhh… which one do you want?”

                Liam smiled. “Pick one for me.”                                           

                Zayn held Liam’s gaze for a few moments before he began to smile again. He turned and walked down the aisle.

                “Rangers… rangers…” muttered Zayn, scouring over the shelves of boxes. “AH! Yes!” He picked one up and held it in his hands. He looked at it as though it held the secrets to the universe. “This one’s a human ranger, just like Leeroyal. And he carries a gilded bow and an extra-large quiver filled with arrows forged from the strongest metals in the land. His armor is light, but strong enough to take direct hits from most swords. It helps him run and dodge, increase his speed.”

“Sounds like you like my character.” Said Liam, nervously.

“ _Like_ him? I’ve played for years, and I can honestly say… Leeroyal is one of the coolest heroes I’ve seen in the game!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I’m honored to call him a member of my guild.” Zayn beamed at Liam.

                Liam found himself blushing. He knew Zayn was describing his character and not him, but the way he spoke made him humbled. There really was a passion that Zayn held in his heart that only awoke when he was playing the game. He found himself wondering if there would ever come a time when Zayn could describe Liam like that, not just Leeroyal.

                “Uhh… what’s that over there?” Liam asked, trying to divert attention away from the heat in his cheeks.

                “Oh sweet! That’s this other board game, the ‘Ticket to Settle.’” Said Zayn. “It’s epic mate! Imagine expanding an army of locomotive engineers across an entire continent!” He waved his hands for emphasis. “You gotta play it sometime! See, the object of the game is to conquer and settle across…” Zayn went on and on while Liam nodded and smiled, hanging on every word.

\---

                “I’m starving,” said Liam, turning into the restaurant parking lot. “This place has the best chili fries on the planet.” He smiled at Zayn. Having left the gaming store, Zayn once again seemed to be nervous.

                “Uh, I’m really not that hungry…” muttered Zayn. Liam wasn’t having any of it.

                “Look you bought me a ton of gaming stuff today,” said Liam, pointing at the bags Zayn was clutching. “Now I’m buying you dinner! NON-negotioable!” He moved his finger and poked Zayn’s shoulder twice for emphasis with that last word. Liam was not letting Zayn ruin this for him.

                Zayn nervously nodded and reluctantly took off his seat belt, unable to hide the smile growing on his face. Liam giggled and walked out of the car quickly, buzzing with excitement.

                Fifteen minutes later, the pair were sitting down in the center of the fast-food place. They were the only patrons at this hour, and for that, both boys were grateful. Zayn ate his plain hamburger silently, while Liam sipped a tall glass of root beer and funneled chili fries and hot dogs. Occasionally, Liam would smile at Zayn, and Zayn would simply nod and look away _. ‘Not quite how I pictured our first dinner.’_ Thought Liam.

               

\---

                It was dark by the time Liam drove up to Zayn’s dorm to drop him off. He stopped right on the curb and put the car in park. Liam awkwardly stared out the windshield, not saying anything. Zayn listened to the buzzing of the engine beneath him and waited for Liam to say ‘goodbye’ or anything really. They had spent the better part of two hours together. They just ate dinner together. They were mates after all, he expected some sort of goodbye!

                After about a minute Liam finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry if tonight wasn’t exactly what you planned.”

                “Well uhh…” said Zayn. How was he supposed to respond to that?

                “I’m sorry if I friend-napped you.”

                “Friend-napped?”

                “Yeah. It’s like kidnapping, but driven by the power of friendship.”

                “You made that up?”

                “Yeah,” chuckled Liam. “But Louis perfected it. How do you think we met?”

                Zayn had to laugh at that one. He turned and saw Liam already staring at him through the darkness.

                “I uhmmm….” Said Zayn muttering. “I had a good time today.”

                “Oh… well, I’m glad.” Smiled Liam.

                “’Night” With that, Zayn, walked out of the car, into his building, never looking back.

                As Liam watched the door to his building finally close, he closed his eyes and hit his head on the steering wheel. He was just so frustrated, but he wasn’t sure why. Today had had mild successes, but he still felt so far away from what he wanted. What exactly did he want anyway? He wasn’t sure. After another long sigh, Liam pulled away from the curb, driving to his own dorm.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Hopefully I can get back to updating this once a week (there should only be about two or three more chapters after this one) I finally know where this story is headed!
> 
> I hope you like this chapter, I think it's a good one. Leave comments below!

_It was a warm and pleasant evening when the four boys walked into the heart of the forest. Harry and Liam were carrying a large wooden treasure chest along a beaten path. At the very end of the path lay an unusually wide tree stump. The four boys stopped right in front of it, dropping the treasure chest._

_Just then, two fat goblins crawled out from the center of the tree trunk. “Ah, I see you brought it,” asked the one goblin, tapping his fingers together in delight. “The full payment I assume?”_

_“Yes,” said Liam, “Each individual relic you were asking for, all in exchange for the dark jewel of Carollux.”_

_“It was no easy feat. We’ve traveled up and down mountains and rivers and swamps, just to get these relics.” Said Harry._

_“Now we demand you bring us the jewel.” Added Zayn._

_“Yes of course.” Replied the other goblin. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly a third, larger goblin came squeezing out of the tree trunk. The boys watched in disgust as he removed a large leather pouch from between his thighs. He handed it to the two first goblins, who handed it to Liam._

_“Be warned humans,” the goblin said. “We are but simple ground goblins. Our jurisdiction is not up here where the light shines. What you do from here on has no repercussions to us. That jewel is dangerous. It could destroy everything you own, everything you love. Be warned.” With that, the largest troll picked up the wooden treasure chest with one hand and retreated back into the tree trunk. The other two goblins followed suit._

_After they had left, Harry opened the bag and took out the jewel. It was shaped like a large diamond and glowed with a faint purple light. Aesthetically, it was beautiful. The four boys warily looked at each other, saying nothing._

_“This jewel is the source of all the evil in this land.” Said Zayn._

_“With such power… it could destroy everything.” Said Harry._

_The boys all stared at it in silence for another moment._

_“WELL!” Louis finally said, taking out his orb of psychic power. “Time to get rid of the bloody thing!” He grabbed the jewel from Harry’s hand and yelled out, “PSYCHIC DISSOLUTION!”_

_Before the other three boys could even properly react, the jewel exploded out of Louis’ hand, leaving not even a shred of dust behind._

_“LOUIS?! WHAT THE HELL?!” yelled Harry. “You can’t just do that!”_

_“Well I just did, Harold,” replied Louis, “And frankly, I’m tired of you lot telling me what I can and can’t do here!”_

_“Louis you don’t know what you’ve done! No one knows what destroying that thing could do!” yelled Zayn._

_“What the hell?!” asked Liam._

_“I know what I was doing, I was ridding this world of evil. The jewel of Cara-whatever!”_

_“We could all be screwed! You could have… you could have opened up a vortex to hell or… or.. or who KNOWS what else?!” yelled Harry, shoving Louis back._

_“Look around, twit!” Yelled Louis, pointing to the trees. “Did it look like something bad happened because I rid the world of this jewel of evil?! NO. Exactly. I did the right thing! And I’ve had it with-“_

_Just then a loud clap of thunder echoed above._

_“Uhh…” said Louis, with all four of them looking up._

_A dark cloud of purple descended through the trees and surrounded the spot where the jewel had been destroyed just moments ago._

_“Uhh guys…” said Liam, readying his bow and arrow._

_“Is this supposed to happen?!” asked Louis frantically._

_“Uhhh…” replied Liam. The boys all huddled together facing the dark clouds now engulfing the entire forest. Loud cracks thunder drew closer and closer. Zayn looked at Liam, and Liam looked at Zayn, fear engulfing each of their eyes. The clouds drew nearer and nearer until it completely overcame their bodies. Their fate was finally sealed as… as…_

            “AS WHAT?!” pleaded Harry, grabbing Niall by his t-shirt. “Tell us!”

“Woah, mate, hands off.” Said Niall, pulling Harry’s hands off his shirt. “That’s better.”

“Where do we go from here?!” asked Harry.

“Yeah we all wanna know.” Said Zayn.

“I know you do,” replied Niall. “But that seemed like as good of a cliffhanger as any. It’s getting late, class tomorrow, yadda yadda, you know this by now.” He closed the game guide and proceeded to put away his books.

As the others proceeded to put away their belongings, Harry turned to Louis. “Way to go, Tommo. You had to go ahead and destroy the jewel, thereby screwing us all over!”

“How was I supposed to know that my actions would have consequences?!”

“That goblin basically told us those exact words!”

“Never trust a goblin, mate. Simple rule of life.” Smiled Louis.

“Ugh..” scoffed Harry in disdain. He quickly picked up all his books and coat and got up. “You know, for someone who’s such a good football player, you’re being a terrible team player in here.”

“Hey! I …am …NEW at this! Football isn’t nearly as complicated.”

“Right well you make THAT look so easy!” said Harry in an angry tone as he walked out the door.

“Hey! I… wha… wha…. I… did you just COMPLIMENT me?!” exclaimed Louis, grabbing his bag and walking out the door after Harry.

Liam rolled his eyes as his two friends walked out the door. He turned to his left to look at Zayn. He had opted to forego his glasses today, but his hair was down to the side without a trace of gel or hairspray in it. Zayn looked down at his phone as he quickly walked away, ignoring Liam’s gaze.

After Zayn left, Liam quickly shook his head and looked down. Niall, saying this, deicede to raise his voice. “Uhh, Liam, wait up.”

“What’s up?” asked Liam, turning his head inquisitively.

“So like… you lot are in quite a mess in this game. Might be destroyed or whatnot.”

“Yeah, thanks for that,” said Liam facetiously.

“If ya want, I can help you build yer character. Make him more fleshed out. Yer pretty new at it, and some guidance could come in handy.”

Liam looked up in thought. “Mmm… ok. Yeah, sure… why not?”

“Great mate!” said Niall, cheerfully patting Liam on the back. “I’ll text ya the details. Probably Sunday, but I’ll let ya know.”

“Thanks Niall. See ya.” And with that, Liam was left alone in the room. As he took a final look at the empty chairs, he sighed, picked up his bags and walked away.

 

\---

           “There’s more to this game than just sheer force, Liam.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean, let’s look at some of yer potential moveset.” Niall looked through the book. “See here: Now ‘Dragonbreath Arrow’ is a good move, but it can only be used once per encounter.”

“Which means if I mess it up, it’s gone in a flash.”

“Exactly.”

“Up in smoke.”

“Literally!”

“Hmm…” Liam tucked his hand under his chin and stared down pensively at the table before him. The two boys were in a far corner of the library where there discussion would not disturb anyone. There were books and papers sprawled all about the area in the name of research.

“Okay… well I think I want the move… ‘Piercing Shot’ … it’s a standard.”

“Which means you can use it whenever ya want. Wow, Liam, you’re an expert already!”

“Well you’re a good teacher Niall.” Smiled Liam, eyes crunching up at the compliment.

“Alright…” Niall trailed on as he wrote on Liam’s character sheet. He looked down at his phone and smiled. Then, he put his chin on his arms rested on the table and smiled at Liam. Liam recognized it as Niall’s mischief grin, but wasn’t sure what to make of it. “…so you got some good attacks, but let’s get personal.”

“Uh..” Liam didn’t think he liked where this was going.

“This game isn’t just about killing orcs and dragons. It’s about the characters you have… the characters you ARE.”

“Okay…” said Liam, still unsure of where this was going.

“So… who are you?”

“Uhm…”

“Or rather… what do you WANT?” smiled Niall.

“Uh well I…”

 

            Just then the two boys looked up to see none other than Zayn, turning the corner. He stopped momentarily when he saw Liam. He opened his mouth to say something, then looked between the two boys, then finally said. “Oh uhhh.. I’m sorry.”

“SPEAK O’ THE DEVIL!” said Niall, getting up from his chair.

“Niall, I thought you and I were gonna work on characters.”

“We are Zayn my man.” Niall pushed Zayn to where he was formerly sitting next to Liam. “Liam needed a lot o’ work too!”

“Uhh, ok…” said Zayn, slowly eyeing Liam. Liam gave a shy smile as Zayn took out his character sheets.

“I was just helping Liam find out more about his character. You know personality-wise.” Niall looked down at his phone and exclaimed, “Crap! Oh man, I fergot!”

“What?” asked Liam.

“I have uhh… a meeting with the Natural Blondes Association. It’s a new group on campus, that’s why you never heard of it. I can’t keep those NBA’s waiting.”

“But-“ said Zayn.

“Nah it’s cool!” exclaimed Niall. “Zayn, you can help Liam here. Liam, Zayn’s a straight up genius when it comes to this. Zayny, go ahead and help Liam out, yeah?”

“But-“

“Really get in there and find out more about Liam’s… character.” Niall chuckled and grabbed his books. “See ya later!” he said. With that, he walked away, leaving Zayn and Liam alone in the library.

\---

 

          After a few moments of awkward silences, Zayn and Liam finally looked at each other.

“Well…” said Liam, slowly. “My character really could use the help. And I’m complete rubbish and making a character myself. Think you could...”

Zayn stared and finally nodded. “Yeah! Uh… yeah sure! Definitely. I’ve been doing this since I was twelve so uhh.. yeah.” Zayn adjusted his glasses and proceeded to look down at the multiple books in front of him. “So uh…. Where did you and Niall leave off?”

“Well.. he gave a whole new moveset… very nice of him.”

“Alright. Awesome.”

“I have a new Encounter Action that allows me to set off a bomb, get this.. ATTACHED to an arrow!” smiled Liam.

“That’s sick!” chuckled Zayn.

“And then we…”

Liam looked at Zayn and after a moment, finally responded. “Uh… Niall asked me… what it is I wanted...”

With that Zayn looked up to see Liam already staring at him. “My character… that is…” coughed Liam, as he diverted his eyes back down to the pages before him.

“Right…” said Zayn, looking down as well, “Well that’s good. I mean, it can help in any situation that uhh… that doesn’t involve slaying like… rock monsters and the like. Like, if we’re ever in a social situation and we need answers, your personality shines through. Your character’s… personality that is.”

“Oh…” Liam looked down in thought. “Well… this may come as a shock to you but… I don’t really do well in social situations.” Replied Liam, his head now up, gazing out at nothing in particular. “I’m definitely more closed off than I seem… Uh… my character that is.” He added, with a reassuring look to Zayn.

Zayn nodded and began to write some words down on the sheets. “Good.”

“As for what my character wants…” continued Liam, looking out again at nothing in particular. “Well… he gets recognized a lot. And plenty of people claim to like him. But… no one really knows him well enough. And that hurts. To know that no one really knows who he is, but everyone claims to want to be with him, or around him….”

                “At the end of the day… all he wants is what everyone else wants… and that’s love. He does everything he does for love. He goes on these extraordinary journeys, been around the world, but it doesn’t matter how many bad guys he fights or princesses he rescues from a castle… because without someone who he can lay his head down with… it’s pointless. Life is pointless without love. He wants someone who loves him for who he really is, not what the world sees as him.”

                After a long silence, Liam continued, “So yeah… if you wanna know my character… why he does what he does… it’s because of love.” At this point, Liam his staring down at his hands, his fingers scratching at nothing in particular. His voice is low almost too a whisper when he finally stops. He wanders his eyes over to Zayn’s hands, still not raising his head.

                “You got all that?” asked Liam, his voice still low. Zayn stared at the paper, afraid to breathe, much less write.

                “Yeah… I got it.” Said Zayn. “I think you’re character is… really… really special. To want that. Not a lot of people can admit to that but… it’s really awesome Liam.”

                “Thanks.”

                “I mean it... your character is… unlike any I’ve seen in the game.” Said Zayn, finally starting to write down the word “ _Love_ ” on the paper.

                “Well… my character is meant to be an extension of me. So I guess in a way….”

                “It’s like you’re telling me what YOU want.” Said Zayn.

                “Right.” Said Liam, finally looking up at Zayn.

                The two sat there in a comfortable silence. There was a sense of understanding in the air. It was as if a hundred words were spoken in that silence, between the lines of what they had actually talked about.

                “Um… I have to go.” Said Liam, quietly. He picked up his books and started to get up. As he was about to round the corner, he heard Zayn’s voice pick up.

                “Uhm…” said Zayn. “I’m gay.”

                Liam stood there in silence but refused to turn around.

                “I feel like you told me something… like, really personal… and I felt like I should tell you something too… I’m gay. And I’m not like ashamed of it or anything but... well no one on this campus really cares either way so… so yeah. I’m telling you something personal too.”

                “Well…” said Liam, slowly turning his head, halfway, still not completely looking at Zayn. “For what it’s worth, it doesn’t change a thing. I might be too.”

                “Oh…” said Zayn, a faint blush creeping on his face.

                “Later Zayn.” Said Liam, quickly walking away.

                “Later.” Said Zayn quietly. He stared down at his hands and wondered if the trembling there would ever go away.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally know where this fic is headed! Shouldn't be long now. This chapter is a MAJOR turning point. Hope you like it! Comment below!

                _“Where are we?” asked Harry. He brought his hands over the smooth cold surface in front of him. He could barely see anything beyond the wall other than his own reflection. His breath fogged up the glass in front of him as he breathed out a chill. “And why is it so cold?”_

_“I find myself asking ‘where are we’ pretty often.” Said Louis, getting up from the cold ground. “Also, it’s pretty cold down on the floor. Or ground. Or whatever.”_

_“What is this place?” asked Zayn, tapping at the glass wall with his staff. “Why can’t I see or hear much of anything?”_

_Liam got up from the ground as well and looked around. He saw his three friends trying desperately to look through the icy walls surrounding them. Apparently they were in an enclosed room made of glass, no larger than the small classroom they were used to._

_“Last thing I remember was being sucked up into that purple cloud of evil stuff.” Said Louis._

_“Yeah… because of what YOU did.” Spat Harry._

_“Oh come off it, Harold!”_

_“No YOU come off it!”_

_“I’m sick of you always treating me like-“_

_“GUYS!” yelled Liam, interrupting the two. Everyone looked at him as he put his hand on the wall. “I think I know where we are.”_

_The other three looked around in confusion. “And… where is that?” asked Zayn finally._

_Liam peered through the glass wall and said, “I recognize these glass walls. And if you look carefully through it, you’ll see a gold coin… lying amongst the dead leaves of the forest… but it’s not just a little coin anymore. That coin is the same size as us. And these dead leaves are huge. Don’t you get it?”_

_“So you’re saying… the world around us has turned humongous?” asked Louis, incredulously._

_“No!” said Liam. “I think we’ve shrunk. We’re… I think we’re trapped inside the dark jewel of Carollux.”_

_A very loud ominous giggle was heard over the boys, startling them. “Verrrry good, Leeroyal. Or should I say, Liam.”_

_“Who’s there?!” asked Harry, wielding his sword, not sure where the voice was coming from. “Show yourself!”_

_“Relax my dears,” said the large, female voice. “I come to bring you the answers you seek. For Liam was right. How perceptive of you.”_

_“My name is Leeroyal!” yelled Liam, raising his bow. “And I’m guessing you’re the dark witch Carollux.”_

_“Oh you’re two for two my dear!” said the voice. “For you see, when you destroyed the jewel, you freed my spirit and trapped your own. My my, how the four mightiest heroes have fallen! Hehehehe…”_

_“Let us out you wench!” yelled Louis._

_“Oh don’t worry, I will.” Said the voice. “For you see, as we speak, I go about torturing your precious land, freezing everything in sight, killing anything and everyone. And it’s all thanks to you.”_

_“Don’t you dare!” yelled Harry, fear and panic in his eyes._

_“You’re too late! And as long as you’re trapped here, there’s nothing you boys can do. But… not to worry… there is a way out.”_

_The four boys looked at each other with a mixture of fear and skepticism. “…What’s that?” asked Zayn._

_“It’s simple. To get out, you must release your darkest fear, your deepest secrets. I know you’re all hiding something. Now the question is… why are you here? What brought you here? Answer that, and you will be set free.”_

_Liam looked down in confusion and anger. “Why should we trust you?” he asked calmly._

_“Because I am the all-powerful Carollux. But you don’t HAVE to trust me. These glass walls are impenetrable, and you can spend eternity trying to break them. Or… you could tell your little friends all your deepest secrets… hehehe…”_

_\---_

_After several attempts to break the walls with force, the four boys finally sat down, conceding defeat._

_“Are we really stuck here forever?” asked Louis in an uncharacteristically defeated tone/_

_“She said there was a way out.” Said Zayn._

_“Pssh. Like how?! Exposing ourselves? Our darkest secrets?” said Louis._

_“It’s worth a shot.” Said Liam._

_For a few moments more the boys sat in silence, unwilling to say anything. Harry looked up at Louis, who looked back for a moment only to look down again. Liam looked at Zayn, who refused to look at anyone else._

_“Right…” said Harry. “Well… this is going nowhere… might as well start.”_

_“No Harry.” Interrupted Louis. “Let me go first.” The three boys looked at him._

_“Right… so I never really explained why I actually came here in the first place. Why I decided… to play with you guys.” Louis paused as the other three silently looked on. Louis looked down at his feet and continued._

_“Four years ago… when I was in high school. I became like… a small town celebrity because of being captain of the football team. Which… don’t get me wrong I loved it, and I still loved football. But like… I always had this interest in like… gaming and… fantasy genre stuff. And like there were people who did that in my high school… and… I thought it was cool but… all the friends I made thought it was lame. So… I just kinda forced myself to believe them too. So I never pursued it.”_

_“Like it still kinda hurts me to this day, that I was willing to just… give up on something I thought was cool… just for the acceptance of a couple of people. Like I never really forgave myself for that. To me, THOSE kids, the ones who play games during lunch… to me, THEY were the cool ones because they did what they wanted, and they wouldn’t let anyone dictate their life. Here I am, four years later, still letting everyone else dictate my life.”_

_The room fell silent as Louis looked down at his feet._

_“Uhm…” said Liam. “Is this why you gave me such crap for playing in the first place?”_

_“Yeah,” Louis scoffed. “I became that which I hated the most. And I couldn’t believe someone like you would just give up football for this when really-“_

_“It’s what you’ve always wanted to do.” Finished Liam._

_“Exactly.” Said Louis. “It’s what I always wanted.”_

_The boys looked up to see parts of the glass walls around them had eroded._

_“It.. it worked!” said Zayn, pressing against the wall._

_“Really?!” said Louis, staring at the now slightly-worn down wall. “Well… I guess… honesty finally got me somewhere.” He traced his hands over the crack in the wall that dissected his down reflection. “Well… anyone else?” asked Louis, with a sheepish smile._

_“Uhm…” said Harry, raising his hand slightly. “Well…” He looked down trying to hide the faint blush on his face. “Truth is… I’ve been giving Louis lots of crap as well… for not being nerdy enough. And that’s because… I went to high school with you, Lou.”_

_Liam and Zayn both gasped. Louis exclaimed, “I KNEW IT! I KNEW I recognized you! You had shorter hair then, didn’t you?”_

_“Yeah,” Said Harry, now a definitive red blush on his cheeks. “I was founder and president of the school’s Gaming Guild. And uhm… I knew who you were Louis.”_

_“You knew who I was in high school?”_

_“OF COURSE I knew who you were! You were LOUIS FRIGGIN’ TOMLINSON!” Louis took a step back in surprise._

_“Everyone worshipped the ground you walked on! You were the amazing football captain and everyone loved you.”_

_“Harry… why didn’t you tell me we went to school together?” asked Louis in a low voice._

_“Because… when we were in school, I tried to get you to sign my petition to start the Gaming Guild, but you and your friends just laughed and walked away, saying that you would never be a part of something so dorky.”_

_“Harry…” said Louis, shocked._

_“So I resented you for it. For like years. Then we went to University together and I still resented you and avoided you… not that it mattered because you didn’t recognize me anyway.”_

_“Harry-“_

_“And then when you wanted to join our game I got so MAD. I thought you were just mocking me! That’s why I’ve been such an ass to you. I thought you didn’t really like us.”_

_“Harry… I’m sorry.”_

_“It’s… it’s okay. Turns out you’re not that bad of a person after all.”_

_“Harry… in high school, I was a right twat. And… I honestly thought you and your group were pretty awesome. I swear.”_

_“I know.” Harry finally looked up at Louis, the blush still on his face. Finally Louis leaned in and hugged him tight._

_The two boys jumped apart as the ground underneath them shook. The glass walls were now broken even more, but still wouldn’t give way._

_Harry and Louis looked at each other, then quickly turned away. “Uhh… Zayn.. it’s your turn.” Said Harry, coughing awkwardly.”_

_Liam looked straight at Zayn, who looked out through the glass._

_“Zayn… you don’t have to say anything.” Said Liam._

_“No, I do.” Said Zayn. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “When I was twelve years old… I threw myself into a life of gaming, character-building and the like… and… it was because…” He took another deep breath._

_“I never felt significant in any way. As Zayn. I never felt cool, or good-looking, or talented, really. But as all these characters I could BE someone, you know? Someone… cool… special. Someone awesome. Someone worthy of love and happiness.” He turned and looked to see Liam already staring at him._

_“When I was eighteen, a really nice, sweet guy asked me out. And do you know what I said? I said ‘I’d consider it’ but I never got back to him. It’s because I felt like I didn’t deserve any affection, or love. I still feel that way.”_

_“Zayn…” said Liam._

_“Which is why I live my life in these games. Because when I play it’s like… I have this confidence… that I never have in real life. And it’s sad, but I wish things were different. I wish I felt like… the real Zayn deserves love. But I don’t.”_

_The boys looked around with hope in their eyes to see the walls crack even further. They were very close to crumbling, they just needed one more push. The other three looked at Liam expectantly, waiting for him to talk._

_Liam looked down and began to play with his fingers. “Um… my turn I suppose… uhm… right…. Well, the truth is…”_

_“The truth is, I only stayed to play this game with you guys because… I had this big crush on you Zayn.” Liam winced and looked up to see Zayn staring at him in shock._

_“I just… I don’t know, its lame but… I thought you were attractive or cute or whatever… so I stuck around and… and then it got worse because every time we played you were so… ugh, so confident, and strong, and smart. Like… who could NOT look up to you while playing?!”_

_Liam laughed and looked up. “You’re awesome Zayn. And you deserve all the good things in life, I wish I could make you see that. I… I wanted to make you see that but… I know you don’t feel the same way. So it’s cool. And uhm, I understand if you don’t want to see me around anymore, if I make the game awkward. Now that you know the way I feel or whatever, but-“_

_“Leeyum.” Said Zayn. Liam immediately looked up. “Why would I ever want you to go away?”_

_“Zayn…”_

_CRACK. CRACK._

_The boys all looked up to see the walls completely begin to shatter. Shards of glass began to fall piece by piece, and suddenly, they felt a surge of energy engulf them._

 

_\---_

 

_The four of them woke up on the ground in the forest._

_“It… it worked!” yelled Liam._

_“We’re back!” yelled Harry._

_“Alright!” said Zayn._

_“Okay, okay,” said Louis, standing up, dusting himself off. “Now that confessional time is over, let’s go kick some WICKED WITCH TAIL!”_

_The other three boys cheered as they began to march along, off to the village to save their town from the clutches of the evil witch Carollux._

_\---_

“Annnnd that wraps it up for today. Great job lads. You really came through for me!”

                “Shut the hell up Niall!” laughed Louis, playfully shoving the blonde boy on his left.

                “Yeah, stop trying to turn this game into a soap opera!” chuckled Harry.

                “For the record, I made all that up for the game!” said Louis.

                “Sure ya did Louis.” Said Niall.

                “Hey, uhm, Liam?” asked Zayn, cautiously.

                “Yeah?” he smiled.

                “About what you said…”

                “Look, Zayn, it’s not big deal,” Liam replied with a blush. “I’ll uhm… I’ll get over it.”

                “No but I don’t WANT you to just get over it.”

                “Uh… what are you saying?” asked Zayn.

                “I’m saying…” Zayn looked down and began playing with his fingers. “Do you want to like… go out? With me? On a date? This weekend?”

                Liam’s eyebrows raised in shock. “Uh… sure!”

 

                “YESSS!!!” cheered Niall and Louis, standing in the room watching the two. “Finally!” yelled Louis. Even Harry smiled and shook his head.

                “Leave them alone.” Said Harry, smiling, as he pushed Louis out the door.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First date scene? You got it. 
> 
> Sex scene? Ehh... sortuv...

                Zayn asked to meet Liam at a local club. A dance club. A gay dance club. What Zayn hadn’t done before was actually step foot in said dance club prior to their date. On this breezy Saturday night, the dance hall was packed with sweaty mostly shirtless older men, some laughing, some singing, and many dancing near each other. A small fog machine pulsed in one corner and large multi-colored rays of light rotated around the ceiling. The loud thumping of electronic music coursed through the spines of everyone in or around the building.

Zayn could barely hear himself think. He sat on the bar stool with an uncomfortable look on his face. He was wearing a purple button-down and a gray blazer that was one size too big. Zayn wasn’t sure if he looked more awkward than he felt, or if he felt more awkward than he looked, but neither was particularly satisfying. _“I’ll take imaginary dragon-slaying over this any day.”_ He thought.

His only saving grace, however, was that Liam honest-to-goodness Payne was here. Sitting next to him. On a date. A real date. Liam was here with him on a date. Zayn had to focus on his breathing for a moment after remembering that, in attempt to not have any anxiety issues. He swiveled his chair slightly to see Liam, holding his drink, and swiveling around as well. He was looking out on the dance floor, then he turned to look at Zayn. Even in the darkness of the club, his eyes shined, giving Zayn a warm feeling as he smiled.

“Sorry this place is…” said Zayn.

“What??” asked Liam, yelling over the music.

“Sorry this PLACE is KINDA LOUD!” repeated Zayn.

“It’s cool! I really don’t mind.” Said Liam, smiling.

Zayn nodded and tried to fight the feeling of disappointment. This was not how he imagined any of it. Still, Liam was here with him, and Liam said he liked Zayn, so that was all that mattered.

“Hey, so I just want you to know-“ said Zayn. Suddenly, his sentenced was disrupted by the presence of someone else on Liam’s right.

“Hey cutie!” said the man now seated next to him at the bar. He was larger, slightly older, and wearing only a sleeveless red shirt. “I haven’t seen you around here before.” He smiled at Liam as he hailed the bartender down.

“Oh.” Said Liam looking down. “Yeah. First time. I’m actually just here on a date. So I’m gonna… get back to my… date.” He tried to rotate away from the stranger as casually and politely as possible.

The man looked over at Zayn who was now blushing furiously. He shrugged, got his drink then walked away.

“Sorry about that.” Said Liam.

“S’alright.” Said Zayn, nervously scratching at his knee.

Liam stared at Zayn’s face with a pensive expression for a moment. Then, he turned around to put down his now empty glass. “C’mon Zayn, let’s get out of here.”

Zayn looked confused for a moment. “What?” asked Zayn.

“I’m hijacking this date. Now come on. Are you coming with me?” smiled Liam as he hopped off the bar stool. Zayn smiled and rolled his eyes as he shook his head slightly. He felt at ease after he got off the bar stool and followed Liam promptly out the door.

 

\---

The pair drove down the road through the evening air. Liam had refused to tell Zayn where he was taking them, but that somehow only made Zayn want to go faster. They talked about nothing in particular, but Zayn felt much more at ease now than he did at the club. Occasionally Liam would sneak glances at Zayn, smile, and simply look away.

After half an hour, Liam finally pulled into the parking lot of a large building. It was decorated ornately in multi-colored paint, made to look like a castle. Big neon lights on the front read ‘Magic Zone.’ Liam looked at Zayn and smiled. Zayn stared at the sign and smiled as the light reflected off his eyes.

“I read about this place.” Said Zayn as he walked in, Liam carefully holding the door open for him. “It’s like for kids, isn’t it?”

“Maybe,” said Liam, biting his lip. “But it’s open for another hour. A few friends of mine brought me here once as a joke, but… I liked it.” He grinned at Zayn like a small child sharing his favorite toy. Zayn couldn’t help but feel affection swell in his chest. He knew this date was finally starting to look up.

 

\---

“So basically,” began Liam after he paid for admission. “We take these.” He held up his plastic ‘wand’ that was distributed when they entered. “And there’s a little battery powered, computer-chip light thingie at the end… Then you-“ He pointed his wand at a nearby plastic treasure chest. The chest opened up automatically and a small sound ring was heard from inside. “And then you get points!” Smiled Liam. “The plot, really is-“

“We’re wizards and trying to play enough games to get enough points to slay the dragon and win prizes and whatnot.” Said Zayn, waving his silver plastic wand so as to get used to it.

“Yes.” Said Liam, taken aback. “I thought you said you’ve never been here before.”

“Please, Liam, it’s a plastic wand.” Zayn turned and grinned at the other boy. “I think I can put two and two together. I am the great wizard Ziome, after all, remember?” He smiled again at Liam, so as to challenge him. Liam’s eyebrows jumped and he smiled in pleasant surprise.

“Well look who decided to bring some sass tonight.” Chuckled Liam.

“Whatever,“ scoffed Zayn. He took his wand and poked Liam in the shoulder. “Now let’s go. I’m new, but I bet I can get more points than you.” With that Zayn ran off, waving his wand, shooting at the light-up surfaces and plastic treasure chests that surrounded them.

“Oh game on!” laughed Liam, chasing after Zayn.

\---

 

And game on they did. For the next hour the two boys ran all around the indoor gaming arena, shooting at everything in sight. They waved their little plastic wands up and down and around, gaining points, and lighting up each object they could. They threw their heads back and laughed as they pretended to be in fierce competition with each other. It didn’t matter that younger lads stared at them, perplexed at why two university students were playing here together. Zayn and Liam didn’t notice; they had a great time.

The ride home was spent laughing and admiring the little wands in their hands. They made jokes about how similar it was to their table top game, and how one day they would bring Niall, Louis and Harry there too. At no point did Zayn feel uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, he had completely forgotten that there was any romantic undertone to this night at all.

He forgot until the very end of the night, when Liam walked Zayn up to the door of his dorm building. At that point Zayn had to calm himself down. _‘Will he try to kiss me? Will he try to invite himself up? Should I make a move? Should we get physical? Oh god…’_ All these thoughts ran back and forth in his mind when they finally made it to the door.

Liam turned to look at Zayn. “I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Me too.” Said Zayn, staring down at his shoes.

There was an awkward silence as the two boys looked at anywhere but each other. The scene felt all too familiar to the both of them.

“Would you like to… do something again sometime?” asked Liam, slowly.

Zayn looked at him and smiled. “Only if you promise not to let me take you to a gay bar again.”

“Eh I didn’t mind.” Chuckled Liam. Zayn chuckled a little as well.

“Well … good night.” Said Liam. Before Zayn had a chance to respond, he felt Liam pull him into a hug. Zayn felt a warmth rush through his body as Liam’s stubble played with his lower neck. Eventually, Zayn hugged him back, closed his eyes and smiled.

Finally, they both let go and without another look back Liam jogged away. “Alright. Sleep tight, Zayn!” He called over his shoulder.

Zayn waved and whispered to himself, “…I’ll try… but I’ll miss ya too much…”

 

\---

“Hey Lou!” said Liam, knocking on his friend’s door. Liam could only hear some muffled movement across the wall. He knew Louis was home at this late hour, but was sure he wouldn’t be sleeping.

“Hey Lou, I know you’re in there, it’s me!” repeated Liam, knocking again, this time tapping with his plastic wand. Still, no response, just some feet shuffling movement.

“Lou I need to tell you about my date with Zayn.”

This time, Liam definitely heard Louis’ voice distinctly saying _“Shut up he’ll hear you.”_

This made Liam more than suspicious. “Lou I know you’re there, if you don’t open up, I’ll assume the worst and call the cops.”

“HEYYYY Liam!” Said Louis, opening the door slightly and literally poking hi head through the crack.

“Hey Lou- I was just…” Liam stared in confusion. “Why can’t you… open the door?”

“Uhm…” said Louis. He seemed out of breath and flustered. “I’m just.. ya know… indecent…”

“Were you… wanking?” asked Liam in disbelief.

“Uhmm… YES that’s it. Geez Li, you caught me! With my pants down and everything. Great chat! Let’s talk more soon kthanks!”

Before Louis could close the door, Liam caught it ajar. “You’re lying Lou. Someone’s in there!”

“LIAM!!!” said a voice.

The door gave way as someone pulled it open from the inside, sending Liam stumbling forward and Louis falling backward. When Liam got up on his knees, he found himself eye-to-crotch with a naked Harry Styles.

“AAH!!!” yelled Liam, leaping backwards like some sort of reverse leap-frog.

“What the HELL Harry!” Yelled Louis, grabbing a nearby comforter and covering himself. “Why did you open the door?!”

“He was already onto us. And he said he was gonna call the cops.” Shrugged Harry nonchalantly, and still naked.

“Oh Harry, put on some pants at least.” Said Louis, fumbling to get up.

                “PLEASE!” yelled Liam, still sitting down, panting and covering his eyes with one arm.

                “Tell me all about your date, Liam.” Smiled Harry, still not moving to put on clothes. “Did you shag him?”

                “No! Clearly you two beat us to the punch!” said an exasperated Liam. He opened his eyes and immediately covered them again. “Harry PLEASE!”

                “Cover up, for God’s sake.” Said Louis, tossing the comforter around Harry’s waist as well so that it enclosed the both of them. “No one wants to see your naked bum.”

                “You did about an hour ago.” Shrugged Harry. This made Louis blush even more than he already was.

                “How did this happen?!” asked Liam, still not opening his eyes.

                “Well you barged into my room.” Said Louis.

                “No! I mean…” Liam peeked his eyes open then put down his hand when he saw they were both covered from the waist up. “I meant… you two… together! Like… that!” He pointed to their now censored naked bodies.

                “Well ya see…” said Louis, fumbling for words. He looked up to see Harry grinning. “It’s just uhh… well.. um….” Harry nodded and Louis, and Louis sighed. “I blame you Liam! You and Zayn and your heart eyes and declarations of love and all that crap!”

                “So what you thought this was some kind of CONTEST?! Who could shag who first?!”

                “It’s properly ‘Who could shag WHOM.’” Replied Harry.

                “No Li, it’s just…” sighed Louis. “Seeing you guys together… got me all hot and bothered, I guess. And come on, it was so obvious I fancied Harry.”

                “You said you would never date a nerd!”

                “Liam, that was my way of saying I fancied him! I’ve fancied him since high school!”

                “Wait really?” asked Harry, a now serious expression on his face.

                “Ye…yeah…” said Louis. “You were the cutest guy in the whole Gaming Guild, but I was too much of a twat to try talking to you.”

                “Wow… it’s… wow…” said Harry, not blushing as well. “I liked you too.”

                “Really?”

                “Really.” Harry leaned in and began to kiss Louis, slowly, and softly. Liam thought it was cute, until Louis gripped Harry’s shoulders, thus dropping the comforter.

                “Oh god!” yelled Liam covering his eyes again. “WHY am I still HERE?!” With that he blindly ran out of the room. As he paced down the hall, he heard their door slam shut. Liam was happy for them- he was traumatized, but happy for them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! What what??!

                Two days later, students trickled out of the large lecture hall at the end of a long school day. Liam and Louis trailed behind the rest, carrying their books. As they walked through the halls, Liam had recapped his whole night with Zayn.

                “So you’re telling me… he asked you out… you both had a great time… and you DIDN’T end up in bed together?” asked Louis incredulously.

                “No.” whispered Liam, a blush now on his face. “Keep it down! And it’s not like I wanted to have sex with him.”

                Louis peered at Liam with a smirk on his face.

                “…Just yet. I meant, I don’t want to have sex with him JUST YET.” Added Liam.

                Louis nodded, “That sounds about right.”

                “But I mean… I like him a lot… I just don’t wanna pressure him into doing anything he doesn’t want to do.”

                “Like… like kissing?” asked Louis.

                “Right.”

                “But you WANT to kiss him.”

                “Oh God, Lou, I’ve wanted to kiss him for what feels like ages now.” Whined Liam.

                As he pouted, Louis walked right in front of him and turned around. He held Liam’s shoulder and stared at him straight on.

                “Listen Liam.” Said Louis. “You’re a great lad. And you’re pretty fit too.”

                “Uhh thank you?” asked a confused Liam.

                “You already know he likes you. If you tried to make a move, I don’t think he’d say no.”

                “I know but I-“

                “No buts!” said Louis, shaking Liam’s shoulders once for emphasis. “No buts… only… butt stuff. Ha HA! See what I did there?”

                “Ew.” Groaned Liam.

                He turned his head over Louis’ shoulders to see a large group of students in the middle of the hallway. “What’s all this now?” asked Liam.

                The pair walked through the crowds of individuals to see various paintings on display on the walls, where previously there were none. There were many students eyeing the pieces of artwork, and many older people, most likely members of the faculty. On one wall there was a large table that held many trays of appetizers and drinks and napkins.

                At the tray table, stuffing his plate with various cheeses, was none other than Niall.

                “Oi, Niall!” said Louis.

                Niall turned around just as he was biting into a large cracker. “Hey lads.” He said, launching bits of cracker out in front of him carelessly.

                “Niall, what’s going on here?” asked Liam.

                “Apparently there’s some art show goin’ on. A gallery opening or somethin’.”   

                “And you heard about this?” asked Liam.

                “Nah,” he said, grabbing a cup and filling it with wine. “Found out about it fifteen minutes ago. I can smell free food from yards away though.” With that last remark he smiled.

                Liam looked around the room. Now there must have been abound thirty people all crowded around ten different paintings in this hallway. Most were chatting and eating in front of various paintings. Liam noticed at the far end of the hallways there was a small podium with a microphone. Just as he was looking at it, he noticed someone getting up to the microphone to speak. Liam craned his neck to try and get a better view because of all the people in the room. Within moments of the speaker starting, however, he immediately recognized the voice.

 

                “Uhh… attention everyone. I was asked to say a few words. On behalf of Professor Kaleesi, my fellow artists Perrie, Cheryl, and Oliver, and myself. I’d like to thank each and every one of you for coming to the Advanced Painting 401, midsemester showcase.”

                The whole hallway quieted down quickly and turned to see the speaker at the podium.

                “My name is Zayn, and I’m one of the four students in this advanced class. If anyone had told me a year ago I’d be presenting my work to the whole university and then give a speech, I’d probably not believe them. I’m really not the speaking up type.”

                A small polite laugh circulated through the hall.

                “However, Professor K told us the assignment would be to paint what the word ‘Courage’ means to you. It was a rather broad topic. But I found myself, in the past five weeks especially, becoming more and more courageous. As I worked on my main painting, entitled, ‘Heart of a Hero’, I found myself thinking more and more, ‘What defines a hero?’ To answer that, I believe that a hero fights for what they believe in, and doesn’t let fear get in the way of what they want. In a sense that’s what courage means to me to.”

                “I decided to paint what courage looks like to me, and in doing so, I’ve never felt more alive. I spend my days waking up and feeling good about the person I see in the mirror, which I couldn’t even say that a year ago. A hero in my life has changed me. I hope that when you leave here tonight, you all think about the heroes in your life, and the courage we all have inside of us. Thank you.”

                With that, there was a tremendous applause as Zayn walked away from the podium. Liam looked down at his shoes and wondered what it was Zayn was referring to, and who this ‘hero’ was? At that moment, Louis, who was looking up above the crowds of people, tapped Liam on the shoulder.

                “Li… I think you should check out that painting over there.”

                “Which one?” asked Liam, shaking his head from the haze of his thoughts.

                “That one,” said Louis. “I think that… that’s Zayn’s.”

                Liam walked forward to where Louis had pointed. There was one painting that stood out amongst the others. It stood about one foot off the ground and extended well into six feet in the air. It was a massive portrait, of a man wielding bows and arrows, in an intricate fantasy landscape. There were dragons in the background, and the one lone warrior stepping into the foreground. It looked almost as if he was walking right out of the picture into the real world.

                Liam couldn’t look away. He stared up at the portrait’s face. It had deep brown eyes and a short brown haircut. He recognized it from before. Zayn was working on it all those weeks ago when he found him in the art room. This time, the portrait had a face, and it looked just like Liam.

                After a few moments, Zayn stood next to Liam. Liam didn’t turn or even acknowledge Zayn’s existence, he was too engrossed in the beautiful work of art before him.

                “I didn’t really plan on you being here tonight.” Said Zayn, now looking at the painting. The two stood side-by-side.

                “I just… kind of found it.” Said Liam.

                After another pause, Zayn continued, “Do you like it?”

                “Yeah.” Said Liam, still taking it all in.

                “So you’re not… you’re not mad that I used your face?”

                “No.” smirked Liam, shaking his head. “That was pretty bold of you. To paint my character without telling me.”

                “Yeah well,” smiled Zayn. He latched onto Liam’s hand right next to his and immediately interlaced their fingers. “I’ve been doing lots of things I never thought I’d do lately.”

                With that, Liam turned to Zayn, and Zayn smiled back.

                “It’s… amazing Zayn.” Said Liam in a hushed tone, staring at the portrait before him. “I’m honored.”

                “You’re amazing, Liam. Ever since we met, I’ve… I’ve been able to face all my fears. Like when I’m around you… you set my soul on fire…”

                Zayn and Liam completely turn to face each other. Zayn looks down at his left hand still laced in Liam’s right.

                “You give me courage, Liam.”

                Liam smiled and looked up at Zayn’s deep amber eyes. He leaned his neck forward, but was quickly stopped by Zayn’s finger on his lip.

                Zayn looked left and right. “Not here.” He said.

                He began to pull Liam along past all the people to the end of the hallways towards and exit. At one point, Louis spotted them and began to say something, only to have Niall put his hand over Louis’ mouth and pull him away.

 

\---

                The sun was finally starting to set outside on the main campus field. Shades of pink and purple cascaded through the sky. Zayn pulled Liam into the center of the sidewalk where there were very few people around. He stared into Liam’s eyes and smiled, never once letting go of his hand.

                “Alright.” Smirked Zayn.

                “Alright?” asked Liam.

                “Yeah… alright. Come on Liam.” With that, Zayn grinned and looked directly into Liam’s eyes. Liam blushed for a moment, then smiled and moved forward, meeting Zayn halfway.

                When Liam finally put his lips on Zayn’s, he couldn’t help but notice how soft they were, softer than he had imagined for weeks. For a few seconds their lips kept up a slow rhythm against each other, then they finally pulled back to breathe.

                “Wow.” Said Liam.

                “Yeah… that was way better than any table top game I’ve ever played.” Chuckled Zayn.

                “I dunno, I kinda liked playing with you.” Smiled Liam.

                “Shut up and kiss me again Leeyum.”

                Liam once again bridged the gap between them, this time, Zayn’s lips opening up more to let Liam’s tongue touch his own. At that moment, the sun completely set, a shade of dark blue shadowed over them, and all the street lights came on at once, shining like stars around the two boys. Zayn played with the stubble behind Liam’s neck and Liam placed his hands on Zayn’s back, holding him as if it were the last time he ever would.

 

\---

                _The four young warriors stood on a stone podium facing the crowd. They had saved the town and the citizens were grateful, to say the least._

_“As the mayor, I grant each and everyone one of you a hundred gold pieces, as well as the regional medals of honor. You are forever welcome in our town, heroes all.”_

_With that, the mayor placed gold medals around each of their necks and the crowd roared. The four boys waved at the loyal, adoring citizens. After the ceremony, the four got on their respective horses and road off into the sunset. The end._

“What do you MEAN ‘The End’ ?! Bloody Hell, Niall!” exclaimed Louis.

                “That’s it. It’s over. The campaign is done. There’s nothin’ else in da book.” He waved the last page of the book above his head for emphasis.

                “But if feels like we just started!” said Louis.

                “Well, look who’s a nerd now?” said Harry, a smug grin on his face.

                “Don’t be an ass.” Said Louis.

                “I thought you said you LIKED my ass.” Said Harry, grinning from ear to ear.

                “That I do…” he replied, patting Harry on the head.

                “Ewww.” Groaned Niall and Liam simultaneously.

                “But that’s beside the point. So we took down the dark witch, so what?! School doesn’t end for another month and a half! There’s got to be some other quest we can go on!” said Louis, pleading to Niall.

                Niall rolled his eyes and reached into his book bag. “Well, I guess we could look at…” With that, he pulled out a massive hardcover book, at least 500 pages long, and slammed it on the table for emphasis. “Version 3.5.”

                “No way!” said Harry. Zayn’s eyes lit up as well.

                “You got it?!” asked Zayn.

                “They don’t call me the Game Master for nothin’ ya know.” Grinned Niall. “So whaddya say boys? Now that the sexual tension has been adequately diffused, I say we move on to another mission impossible over here.”

                Louis turned and smiled fondly at Harry as Harry flipped his hair and replied, “I’m so down. How about you guys?” He turned to look across the table at Liam and Zayn.

                Liam held Zayn’s hand in his. His thumb caressed the other boys, and he looked up and saw Zayn smiling.

                “You know I love a good challenge. Are you down, babe?” Said Zayn, staring deep into Liam’s eyes. Liam smiled, his eyes crinkling up.

                “You know I’d go on any adventure with you.” With that Zayn blushed and had to look down for a moment.

                “UGH enough with all the couple stuff!” said Louis, a repulsed look on his face.

                “Yer one to talk, Tommo.” Smirked Niall.

                “Niall, you BASICALLY hooked up both of these couples!”

                “I’m not really complaining though.” He said, smiling, while flipping pages on his massive book. “Now, you boys ready to start a new campaign?”

                “Yes!” cheered all of the boys except Harry, who said “Yes.” Two seconds after the rest of them.

 

                “We open on a dark, overcast day in a valley LITTERED with the skulls and skeletons of dragons.”

                “These dragons are dead?” asked Louis.

                “Yeah.”

                “What could kill a bunch of dragons?” asked Liam.

                “That’s what you heroes are on a quest to find out.”

                Harry and Zayn shared a smile. “We need to find out more about what killed these.”

                “Right,” replied Zayn. “Who has good search ability?”

                “I do.” Said Liam. “Can I roll for it?”

                “Go for it.” Said Niall.

                Liam took one of Zayn’s dice. He looked at Zayn, and Zayn immediately blew air into his hand. Liam smiled and tossed it onto the table, letting it roll and tumble, the fate of the quest depending on the very number it would soon land on.

 

 

 

\-- The End --

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THAT'S IT! Thank you all so much for reading and being patient and bearing with me. Please subscribe, I have so many other fanfics in the works and on the way. Thanks again, I hope you enjoyed. :)


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